P&O Aurora Hints and Tips

Join me as I let you know all my favourite places on P&O Aurora, plus some things I really recommend you doing, whilst you're on this fantastic ship!
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[@ConnemaraHeather1]

Excellent video - really enjoyed your tour of the ship. Well done!

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it ❤

[@jeaniddeson630]

Thank you Mathew an excellent tour , we have just booked for April 22 fingers crossed we will be sailing x

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

Thank you so much! You'll have an amazing time ❤

[@jeaniddeson630]

Hi Mathew do you know anything about cabin A 193 we have just booked it, but noticed lido grill above us , do you think it will noise ? Thank you x

[@BrianHulsen]

Thanks for the review! We have booked the Aurora for 2024 and the Brittania in 2023. We were always a fan of the Oceana. Will be fun to be on the Aurora!

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

My pleasure! Hope you enjoy 🛳

[@Mark-pm9nh]

Hi Mathew . Love your vlog . Really appreciated your awesome review & video . Love your voice too . Hope you are well & safe . Mark (Toronto)

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

Thank you so much :)

[@JulieWallis1963]

My husband and I spent two weeks on Aurora, what a beautiful ship she is. Amazing staff, terrific food and we enjoyed the outside pool and jacuzzi on the rear whilst within the arctic circle. How many people can say they have swum in the arctic in November? 😋 Being adult only makes Aurora a huge game changer for me. Children are like farts. Your own are ok, other peoples are not.

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

Aw I'm glad you enjoyed her! We did the same whilst she was crossing a very rocky Bay of Biscay 😂 I think what's so good is the fact P&O has a range of ships which suit everyone's tastes :)

[@janea57]

Thanks Matthew, for a really interesting vlog. We are looking to book Aurora and I found your perspective really useful.

[@lucysmum1895]

Matthew, Aurora was my 1st ship to cruise on P&O to Belgium in Nov ‘06. It’s nice to know they still keep a mid to smaller one like her. I’ll be on their mid-size, Arcadia, on my birthday in June to Guernsey this year but nervous on Virgin Voyages’ new big Valiant Lady in a fortnight. I also look forward to Ambassador’s Ambience to Antwerp in Dec. By the way regarding to the question Lucy and I asked you before, I think you can do with a (future cruise) sales manager with your expert knowledge. June of London

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

Ooh good to know! Totally agree I'm glad they still have medium sized ships in addition to their larger fleetmates :)

[@stravers7284]

Thoroughly enjoyed your video, thank youm

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed it 😊

[@raymondhunt6109]

Ray Hunt Another informative video Matthew, we are on Aurora for the 5th time this month so don't have to tell you it is our favourite P&O ship. May try Brittania next year do you think it will be too much of a difference?

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

Thank you so much! I think she's a completely different type of ship :) So best to approach her with an open mind! She's fantastic in her own way ❤

[@nicolesummers4495]

Fabulous presentation

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

Thank you!

[@Merritt7278]

Thank you for the video, me and my wife go on her in 2 weeks to the Artic circle, they said they gave us a free upgrade too which can't be all bad, we only booked a inside room so don't know what sort of upgrade it is, room grade is PB C264. Thank you.

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

My pleasure! I hope you had a fabulous time onboard

[@paulgrainger1702]

Very good tour

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

Thank you!

[@susanskelton3221]

Do you have to bring your own detergent for the laundrette?

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

Yes you do :)

[@PeterMackay66]

I loved Aurora as a ship - we spent 30 nights aboard, Hong Kong to Southampton, in 2008 - and you've mentioned some of the things I liked most. The promenade, the fabulous stern, and just sitting in the Crows Nest watching the sea. Three theatres and a variety of public rooms for lectures and activities helped the time go by. What I didn’t like was the sort of penny pinching attitude that typifies the UK. The stabilisers were rarely deployed, the public staff had too much to do, the fees for money-changing etc. were too steep, and the food was um, aimed at a different niche. A little stuffy. Loved the ship, not so much the service. I don’t think I’ll cruise anyone but Oceania now. They don’t mind if I bring a few bottles aboard, I don’t have to dress up, I can dine whenever - or wherever - I want, and it is so much more efficiently run.

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

Thanks for your thoughts :) going on Oceana in February so looking looking to seeing what Oceana is like!

[@PeterMackay66]

I spent 17 days on Oceania's Riviera last year in the Western Med and Canaries. Loved it. They say they have “The finest cuisine at sea”(tm) and it was certainly a big step up from P&O. The “country club casual” dress code was also very convenient. Mostly I enjoyed their competence. When problems arose, they were handled without fuss. A smaller ship than Aurora, to be sure - and Riviera is one of their big ships - but a far higher crew/passenger ratio.

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

They do look good!

[@JulieWallis1963]

Peter Mackay stabilisers used every day on my, much more recent cruise! Staff couldn’t be more helpful or polite. Food varied so much, from the Horizon buffet which had a theme each day, the beach house for casual (ribs etc) or the Glasshouse for elegant. I’m not sure what kind of food you’re used to but I had everything from fillet mignon to scotch eggs! Hardly niche, unless you live off of cheap fast food or frozen ready meals. I’m not sure your outdated opinion is relevant.

[@PeterMackay66]

@@JulieWallis1963 Well, fair enough. It was ten years ago. The food was very British, and not a lot of fresh, which could be a function of being on a world cruise. It wasn't crook, but it was kind of stodgy. Oceania was a lot better foodwise. The crew on Aurora were always polite and capable. Just easily overwhelmed by events. There seemed to be a lot of standing around waiting in queues. Maybe it's a British thing, but there was very little of that on Oceania. And of course Oceania runs smaller ships with more crew per passenger. That makes a difference.

[@karolinas7019]

Hi. I never cruised before and I was interested to know - how much does it cost per day to stay on a ship like Aurora? And I mean not the cruise price that you pay to an agent, but rather cost of food, drinks, other onboard activities? Let's say if someone was to go for a 44 day cruise, how much do you think on average would you need per person without wasting money too much? I was trying to find this information online, but it seems hard, so I think including this in videos would be beneficial as well! Thank you!

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

Hey - Thanks for reaching out! I'd definitely like to do a rough guide to cruising with P&O in terms of cost but off the top of my head I'd say for the accommodation etc you'd pay around 100 pound for a night (This can be cheaper or more expensive depending if you get a good deal or choose a more expensive cabin grade) Drinks prices are quite reasonable in my opinion at around 6 quid for a cocktail etc - same with coffee at the coffee shop around 2-3 pounds. You dont have to spend anymore in terms of food as the buffet and Main Dining Room is included in your fare as is nearly all entertainment (including the shows, choirs etc) You can of course pay for speciality dinning too :) Likewise with excursions there is no pressure to do them but I have enjoyed the ones I have done where it would be difficult to organise myself :) I tend to spend around 200-250 for a two week cruise in terms of extra cost stuff eg drinks and the occasional excursion :) Obviously this varies hugely from person to person but I I hope this helps!

[@karolinas7019]

@@CruisingWithMatthew Thank you so much! That's really helpful! Could I just ask regarding the food on Aurora - was it good and had a decent variety? also, what does a full board included exactly mean - is it 3 meals throughout the day or is there a way to get snacks in between in case you get hungry? Sorry to ask so many questions, but just considering one cruise! :)

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

No worries! Full Board means Breakfast Lunch and Dinner are included - these can be in either the buffet or dining rooms! There's even the option for afternoon tea! In terms of snacks the buffet is open all throughout the day and offers a late night buffet even In terms of food choice I'd say there is a wide range of stuff and I never felt like there wasn't enough! I do hope this helps :)

[@JulieWallis1963]

Karolina Stankutė all food is included. Be that at the self service buffet or the top notch restaurant. All shows and entertainment. Your room will include a shower room or bathroom, housekeeping, mini bar (charged at same price as regular bars) If you don’t drink alcohol and only drink tea and coffee with meals or in your room, you _could_ in theory spend zero. Bloody miserable in my opinion, but it’s totally doable. For snacks there is the horizon restaurant that is serving almost all day. Afternoon tea, cakes and pastries are all available for most of the day. Also you will have biscuits/cookies in your room, replenished daily. Being hungry is not something to consider whilst cruising.

[@karolinas7019]

@@JulieWallis1963 Thank you so much, Julie! :) just wanted to make sure what's included and the cruise I'm considering is pretty long (30+ days) so want to make sure in the end with all the meal prices it's not gonna turn out to be like £20k per person haha

[@RonOutdoors]

P&O CRUISES WORST HOLIDAY EVER BEST TIP DONT BOTHER.

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

Sorry to hear you didnt enjoy :(

[@simracer1256]

Second best tip - use grammar and punctuation. And turn off caps lock for that matter

[@RonOutdoors]

@@simracer1256 Capital's are to emphasize anger. Grammar doesn't matter when you are angry. Thanks for your understanding.

[@simracer1256]

Ship is well past it's best sadly. Needs to be sold off.

[@CruisingWithMatthew]

Sorry you think that 😕 I loved my time onboard her!